I love San Francisco

Last weekend was our first weekend back and it reminded me very clearly of how much I missed and how much I love San Francisco. It was a wonderful weekend spent walking around our new neighborhood in the Dogpatch, enjoying breakfast at a café, playing ball with Stanford in the park and then running down the Embarcadero later that day. I really missed the city a lot, I realized. And I am so excited to be back!

I first moved to the city four years ago and was instantly smitten by its charm. I have always wanted to live in San Francisco and even though my job was in Silicon Valley I chose to live in the city and brave the long commute. Last year, however, I joined a start-up company further down south, which meant an even longer commute. We decided to leave and move down to San Jose. We left with a heavy heart but it did not take long for us to realize that San Francisco is our real home. After ten utterly uninspiring months, we have returned.

I love San Francisco.

I love that the city is where Dennis and I met, where we fell in love and where we adopted our adorable red corgi, Stanford. We rescued him from a shelter in Utah and drove him through the Sierras back to San Francisco.

I love that the city is where I ran my first marathon. I can still remember that early Sunday morning when I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge blanketed in fog. It was truly amazing! I never thought of myself as being athletic but I have been hooked on running ever since.

I love that the city is wonderfully walkable. I love walking up and down the hills around Union Square and Dolores Park. Those hills are never too daunting. I love walking to the train station, to the grocery store, to the bookstore, to the coffee shop and to almost everywhere. I love walking Stanford in the early morning when it is cool and quiet outside, my corgi in one hand and my cup of coffee in the other.

I love that the city is a gracious host to film and theater. I love seeing old films at the Castro Theater, from old musicals like Kiss Me Kate and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas to classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers. I love that my all-time favorite Wicked first played in the city before captivating Broadway.

I want junblog!

I am looking for

Jun Belen is the voice behind junblog, a mouthwatering and heart-warming journal of Filipino home cooking. Jun-blog is my personal collection of how-to’s and ABC’s of Filipino cuisine peppered with funny but oftentimes sentimental anecdotes. Each ingredient and each step bring back fond memories from long ago. Halo-halo and calamansi juice in the summertime. Arroz caldo and bibingka during the Holidays. For those unfamiliar with Filipino food and culture, Jun-blog is a delicious introduction.